Aquarium fish Astronotus - care and maintenance

Astronotus is understood as a large fish, which is distinguished by its overall features and external data. Otherwise, these aquatic inhabitants are called ocular astronotuses. They belong to the cichlid family, they live preferably in South America. In addition to its aesthetic data and size, fish is interested in behavior and intellectual abilities. She can remember a person who constantly brings food, as well as observe from the aquarium the actions of the owner. But these are not all aspects affecting the breed.

Habitat

1. For the first time, the fishes of the present breed group were described back in 1830. The homeland of aquatic inhabitants is considered South America. They are met in a dangerous and so diverse Amazon, off the coast of Rio Negro and Rio Paraguay.
2. Artificially, these fish were relocated to Australia, China, Florida. They quickly went through the period of acclimatization and set about exploring the water area.
3. In its natural habitat, this species of fish is caught for food and other types of fishing. Taste is excellent, people are happy to consume astronotus in food.
4. In the natural environment, these water inhabitants inhabit large rivers, canals, reservoirs, lakes and other water sources with sand or silt at the bottom. They eat insects and their larvae, crayfish, small fish, and worms.

Description

1. These fish are distinguished by a powerful body, which in its shape resembles an oval. The head is large and eye-catching, looks harmoniously against the main background. The lips are fleshy, eyes are round and large. In the natural habitat, they reach a length of 36 cm or more, but in the aquarium environment, the body length hardly reaches 25 cm. As for life expectancy, representatives of the aquatic family exist for about 10-15 years.
2. Individuals that do not survive in an aquarium environment are dull in color. This is due to the fact that they need to disguise themselves as a natural biotope. The fish are painted in a dark tone, there are spots of orange on the body. On the tail there is a black circle with an orange border.
3. All forms of astronotuses are famous for their ability to change color depending on the situation. For example, the fish is stressed, hungry or not feeling well, this will certainly affect the external data.
4. Young growth differs from large individuals. The younger generation is also dark, but spots of a whitish hue are scattered throughout the body. There are many colors of the body, in particular, the fish can be tiger, albino, reddish, marble.

View Features

1. Aquarium astronotus refers to fish with high intellectual abilities. These water pets recognize the owner when he just approaches the tank. Also, the fish can closely monitor a person, trying to repeat his movements with his whole body. It looks funny and very cute.
2. This breed can be tamed, then it will rub on your hand when your palm is in the aquarium. Fishes get a real pleasure from stroking. In this regard, their behavior resembles feline or canine. However, feeding by hand is not worth it, because individuals bite painfully.
3. There are many popular forms of these fish, including tiger, fawn, albino, etc. But in essence, all of them are derived from the common astronotus. Despite the varieties, the contents of these pets are the same. They are prone to certain diseases and are demanding of the aquatic environment.
4. This type is suitable for beginners, the main thing is to take into account all the intricacies of care.The problem may be in the overall features, that is, the fish require a lot of space. If you have the opportunity to pick up a large tank, then you can safely keep individuals. Fish are kept alone in a tank of 400 liters or more, like all large-caliber cichlids.

Content

1. It’s easy to keep these fish if you follow all the recommendations and regularly change the water in the tank. Since the aquarium environment is a closed system in its features, it is necessary to monitor it and ensure constant cleanliness. Otherwise, nitrites and ammonia will accumulate in the water, and the fish will begin to hurt.
2. Since all diseases of the discussed family members develop precisely against the background of a polluted environment, substitutions are carried out with frequent intervals. Every week, a third or a quarter of the fluid is drained, a new one is added instead. Then the astronotuses will not hurt.
3. After a meal, these fish leave a lot of waste, which sink to the bottom and begin to decompose. Some fish just spit out some of the food, although they eat the tablet food completely. Therefore, when feeding live food, for example, small fish or worms, it is necessary to siphon the soil constantly simultaneously with water changes.
4. If you bought young animals, a 100 liter tank is enough for him. per individual. Larger guests will have to pick up an aquarium from 400 liters. For a couple or in combination with other large inhabitants, you will have to find an even more spacious reservoir in order to avoid fights for territorial affiliation.
5. These fish are used to being in an aqueous environment with a high oxygen content, so aeration is given special attention. You can supply oxygen using a flute, or install a powerful external filter. Additionally, it will create a flow.
6. Water guests are large, often demolish everything in their path when they begin to frolic. Therefore, all the decorations are installed tightly. Choose vegetation with a strong root system so that the fish do not tear it. It is also preferable to send floating type plants to the aquarium.
7. These fish spoil the equipment for the aquarium, so it is carefully hidden by decorations, snags, and other objects to distract attention. As for the litter, sand is selected as soil. These fish love to dig, so all the vegetation is not planted in the ground, but distributed in pots.
8. Since the representatives of the species are powerful and strong, they often jump out of the aquatic environment. For this purpose, the tank is covered with a lid. Water indicators are also important. For example, maintain rigidity at around 22 units, acidity - within 7 units, and temperature conditions - 23-25 ​​degrees.
9. As you already understood, the astronotus is a fairly simple fish in content, and it’s very interesting. Consider the size of individuals at a young age when sharing neighbors. In addition, the fish in question have a peaceful temperament. Often, such individuals are sold about 4 cm in size. At this time, the fish are kept in a common aquarium.
10. However, it is worth noting that you should not purchase the individual in question in a common aquarium up to 100 liters in size. The problem is that such fish have the characteristic feature of growing very fast. In order for the individuals under consideration to develop normally, they need to provide an aquarium with a volume of at least 400 liters.
11. Do not forget that individuals need high-quality and expensive food. Therefore, the feed should be acquired by a balanced and trusted manufacturer. Keep in mind that these fish are predators. Therefore, they should be kept in pairs and with fairly large neighbors. Otherwise, the content will not be any problems.

Feeding

1. In the wild habitat, the individuals represented are omnivorous. They get themselves all kinds of food.Fish feed on larvae, algae, zooplankton, plants, small fish, amphibians and various invertebrates.
2. As for the aquarium content, then no problems will arise, the individuals are quite unpretentious. Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning that such fish in most cases need animal feed. It is recommended that individuals give high-quality artificial feed that are designed for large cichlids.
3. Among the varieties of such a popular feed, tablets, pellets and granules can be distinguished. In today's world, you will not have problems with the choice of such products. You can choose the feed depending on the budget and country of manufacture.
4. Pamper new pets with fresh-frozen or live food. Such fish are very fond of earthworms, crickets, crawls, shrimps, mussel meat, fish fillets, grasshoppers, tadpoles and similar representatives of the fauna.
5. In addition, astronotuses are also given small fish. Veal tails and guppies are very popular as feed. Keep in mind that such food can only be given if you are completely sure that the feed fish are not sick and are completely healthy.
6. It is worth noting that the individuals in question are rather insatiable and greedy. For this reason, they should not be overfed. Otherwise, astronotuses begin to seriously hurt. As a result, death is inevitable.
7. As soon as such individuals began to be kept in home aquariums, breeders fed them even the meat of mammals. However, such actions are best avoided. The problem is that such foods contain a high concentration of fats and proteins. Fish are simply not able to digest such food. Obesity develops.

Compatibility

1. It is worth noting the confirmed fact that it is better not to keep such individuals in common aquariums. Of course, it cannot be said that the individuals in question display increased aggression towards all neighbors. Nevertheless, they are quite capable of swallowing smaller fish.
2. In order not to cause any problems and hassles, astronotuses are best kept in a separate container and a pair. However, do not forget about compatibility with other large fish. In this case, there may be an exception.
3. Many owners of the considered individuals without any problems contain them with a black pack, arovans, three-hybrid parrots, large plectostomuses, Managuan and eight-lane cichlazomas.
4. However, it is worth considering the individual nature of each individual. Fish can interfere with each other from time to time. Do not forget that astronotes simply adore breaking the ground. For this reason, plants should be planted in separate pots. Take care of the decoration of the aquarium in advance. The fish are so smart that they are quite capable of recognizing their master.

Astronotus can be attributed to a separate category of fish. Such individuals are distinguished by an excellent mind and unique characteristic qualities. The fish in question can even be ironed and hand-fed. However, extreme caution should be exercised in this case. The problem is that an individual can accidentally bite you, the sensations are rather painful.

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